The Most Scandalous Relationship Drama On Southern Charm
Since 2014, the cast of "Southern Charm" has been bringing scandal, drama, and, of course, Southern charm to Bravo. The reality show follows a group of friends (and some frenemies) as they navigate the social scene in Charleston, South Carolina. It's a combination of old and new money, exes, and fancy dinner parties that explode into a confrontation that keeps viewers coming back for more.
The cast has gone through a lot of changes over the years, and as of Season 8, the roster includes playboy turned boyfriend Shep Rose and his girlfriend Taylor Ann Green, pillow artiste Craig Conover, L'Abeye owner Naomie Olindo, beer connoisseur Austen Kroll, Instagram influencer Venita Aspen, series veteran Kathryn Dennis, restaurateur Leva Bonaparte, socialite Patricia Altschul and son Whitney Sudler-Smith, and various romantic partners and exes that keep things interesting. Add alcohol to the mix, and it makes for the perfect southern twist to the housewives franchise that Bravo fans know and love. We've compiled the most scandalous relationship drama on the show for you in no particular order, and these southerners sure know how to stir up the drama as much as they stir up their drinks.
Kathryn Dennis' co-star drama
We've watched Kathryn Dennis grow up on reality television, from the carefree 21-year-old in Season 1 to becoming a mother of two. Early on in the series, she fell in love with Thomas Ravenel, who comes from an influential Charleston family and is 30 years her senior. The pair had their fair share of nasty fights over the years and finally called it quits in 2016. Two kids and seven seasons later, custody matters are still a topic of contention. As of 2022, Ravenel has custody over their two kids. Dennis currently has supervised weekend visits as of early 2021, as per People.
Dennis has been linked to more than one "Southern Charm" cast member, and in classic reality show style, said liaisons have resulted in drama. All the way back in Season 1, Craig Conover, who had a crush on her at the time, got upset with pal Shep Rose for hooking up with her, calling it a "bro code" violation. Tensions were also high when it was revealed during Season 6 that Dennis and castmate Whitney Sudler-Smith hooked up before she fell in love with Ravenel. Sudler-Smith denied the rumors and told Dennis, "We have a different interpretation of events." Dennis clapped back in her own confessional saying, "I've had people lie that they've had sex with me, but I've never had anyone deny that they've had sex with me."
Craig Conover's near-love triangle
Everyone's favorite pillow king Craig Conover has had to juggle more than just decorative cushions. In Season 3, "Southern Charm" viewers watched Conover move in with then-girlfriend Naomie Olindo, but their relationship flamed out a few years later. The two argued time and time again on the reality show, but perhaps their most memorable spat arrived in Season 5 when she called his sewing, which was then just a hobby, into question. He famously fired back, "What's wrong with my sewing?" Apparently, not much. The law-school graduate now owns a retail pillow empire that has its very own flagship store on Charleston's King Street.
In 2021, Conover entered into a long-distance relationship with "Summer House" star Paige DeSorbo. However, before they made things official, Conover and Olindo reconnected in Las Vegas and hooked up. "Neither one of us ever thought we would get back together," Olindo told People. "This happened a year ago now and it was sort of a one or two-off situation where you just know each other and you're comfortable around each other and you have some fun," she said. "But really, it was nothing more than that."
On a June 2022 episode of "Watch What Happens Live," Conover confirmed his dalliance with his ex did not happen after he and DeSorbo became exclusive. What's more, he did not hide what happened with Olindo from DeSorbo, but did wait to tell buddy Austen Kroll. Kroll was not happy about that.
The Austen Kroll and Madison LeCroy coaster
Austen Kroll's search for love has not been without conflict. He and fellow "Southern Charm" star Madison LeCroy took viewers on a seasons-long rollercoaster with their on-again, off-again courtship that included a number of cheating-related debacles (who can forget the infamous cell phone video where Kroll tried to plead with LeCroy?). However, it looks like they've moved on once and for all: In Season 8, Kroll connected with Olivia Flowers, and LeCroy got engaged to non-cast member Brett Randle. And yet, the specter of their messy relationship continues to loom.
In the Season 8 premiere, Kroll and LeCroy had a doozy of an awkward interaction at Kathryn Dennis' Gatsby-themed birthday celebration. Following his conversation with LeCroy, he told Flowers she had nothing to worry about, and she assured him she was fine with him saying hello to his ex-girlfriend. But in a confessional, Flowers said, "We shouldn't be going on our first date and talking about homegirl."
LeCroy didn't take too kindly to Flowers' remarks. While she did not call out Flowers directly, she did write on Instagram, "I'd rather be a homegirl than a homely girl." In an Instagram Story (via Us Weekly), Flowers shared a selfie she snapped while hanging out in bed with a bag of Doritos. "Homely? More Like Homebody," she wrote.
The Alex Rodriguez rumors
Madison LeCroy didn't just dip her feet into the dating pool after ending things with Austen Kroll back in 2021. Rather, she took a big swing at it — literally. Rumors soon bubbled up about the "Southern Charm" cast member and MLB star Alex Rodriguez... when he was still engaged to Jennifer Lopez.
On the Season 7 Reunion, LeCory denied ever meeting up with Rodriguez, but she did say she'd communicated with the retired professional athlete. "He contacted me, and yes, we DMed, but other than that there was nothing ... I've never seen him [or] touched him," she told host Andy Cohen. Speculation about the two bubbled up when eagle-eyed fans noticed Rodriguez had liked some of the reality star's Instagram posts. The timeline makes things interesting, however, as shortly after the Instagram flirtations were exposed, so was Rodriguez and J.Lo's split. The couple had a history of pushing back their nuptials, but it seems the drama surrounding LeCroy might've been the nail in the coffin. A source told Page Six, "The Madison LeCroy scandal was the reason they finally broke up."
When asked about the ordeal, castmate Shep Rose told Us Weekly that LeCroy even signed an NDA. "I know that there was, like, an NDA signed, which doesn't seem to mean anything anymore," Rose said. "I think our show started as fairly normal, humble people ... And now it's like DMing baseball stars and stuff." Three strikes and Rose is out.
Will Shep Rose ever settle down?
You know him, you love him, but is he husband material? Infamous playboy Shep Rose has seen longer relationships with bars than serious girlfriends. And while he does put the charm in "Southern Charm," is it enough for him to commit? Viewers were introduced to Taylor Ann Green in Season 7 when the pair had just begun dating. This is a new side for the guy who used to match his younger male castmates shot for shot throughout downtown Charleston and avoided any real commitment. And though he is 15 years her senior, she is the one who wants to settle down and start a family. Rose, forever the scamp, is not as determined to take that next step.
While Season 7 saw the couple in the honeymoon phase, things got a little more serious in Season 8. Following a pregnancy scare, it became abundantly clear that Rose and Green were on separate pages: He's not ready to be a father, whereas she's ready for marriage and children. What's more, his reaction made her question their relationship entirely. What's more, a trailer for the eighth season teases a scene where Austen Kroll berates Rose for the way he speaks to his girlfriend, resulting in a blowout fight between the two men.
Despite any Season 8 hiccups, the two seem to be going strong. In June 2022, the two appeared on "Watch What Happens Live" together, and the following month, Green shared a snap on Instagram of the pair celebrating Independence Day. We'll have to see if she's the girl to put all of Rose's frat-boy tendencies away for good.
The chatter surrounding Cameran Eubanks' marriage
Cameran Eubanks was a fan favorite from the very beginning. Viewers fell in love with the bubbly and quick-witted "Real World" alum over the course of six seasons. When she didn't return for Season 7, speculation quickly arose about why she wouldn't be gracing our TVs. Sure, she finally settled down and had a daughter with her husband Jason Wimberly, a Charleston-based doctor who is not a part of "Southern Charm." But being well-liked on the show certainly doesn't shield you from gossipmongers.
It all started in the Season 7 premiere when Kathryn Dennis told Craig Conover rumor had it Eubanks' husband had been unfaithful. Eubanks promptly reached out to Dennis via text message to confront her about this conversation. As Dennis shared in a confessional, Eubanks wrote, "Why are you telling people Jason is cheating on me on camera? I am so confused." After Dennis said she was simply repeating what she'd heard, Eubanks replied, "Kathryn, give me a break. Be a good human."
Eubanks left the show following Season 6 and defended her exit in a statement. "While upsetting, it sadly doesn't surprise me as this is what reality television has come to nowadays and a large reason why I kept my marriage off the air," she said. "You must protect what is sacred to you. Some things aren't worth a big paycheck." Eubanks still lives in Charleston with her husband and daughter.
Kathryn Dennis and Chleb Ravenell's ups and downs
In Season 7, Kathryn Dennis introduced the "Southern Charm" audience to her boyfriend Chleb Ravenell. But in Season 8 Episode 3, the two called it off after she told him she believed he was not supportive enough. "I feel like you're emotionally unavailable, and you know I've been in relationships with emotionally unavailable people," she told him. "I haven't seen you taking the steps to fulfill the role that I would like someone to fill." After the episode aired, Ravenell told ET that the scene was too hard to watch. "That literally kind of broke my heart at that time," he shared. The former football player also said they don't keep in touch, but he did try to reconcile.
Ravenell and Dennis' relationship started in July 2020, weeks after the latter was called out by a local Charleston radio DJ on Twitter for sending racist DMs. At one point in her back and forth with the host, who is a Black woman, Dennis wrote, "stop using Charleston and ur minority claim as a platform to harass people." (Dennis eventually apologized.) When Dennis and Ravenell began dating, some questioned Dennis' intentions. Per People, co-star Leva Bonaparte said at the time, "This was her strategic move, I guess."
The two stayed an item for over a year, but things came crashing down once the "Southern Charm" cameras started rolling again. "I was like, maybe [filming] will bring us together," Ravenell said in Us Weekly. "[But] it broke us apart."
Naomie Olindo learned Matul Shah wasn't faithful
Naomie Olindo was certainly not quiet when she left "Southern Charm" after Season 6, so fans were shocked to see her return to Charleston for the Season 8 premiere. "I had to like beg my way back [and] I was like, 'Guys, please. I know I quit, and I know I told everybody to f*** off. But please, I'm very depressed, and I really want to come back," she said on "The Skinny Confidential Him & Her" podcast.
Viewers saw Olindo break things off with Craig Conover in Season 5, but she found love again with Charleston med student Matul Shah. The couple dated for three years following her departure from the show, but things fell apart shortly after they moved to New York City together. Olindo recalled unpacking the U-Haul in the Big Apple only to find messages between Shah and his ex on his laptop. "It was like a year's worth of texts with his ex and explicit pictures and, you know, the whole nine yards," Olindo said on the aforementioned podcast. "And I called him, and I was, like, 'Hey, I just want you to know, I saw the messages with Sophie and this is done.'"
After the split, Conover told People, "I think she's relieved in a weird way. She's happy to be back in Charleston." Viewers will have to have to see if she can win her way back into the graces of her former castmates.
Thomas Ravenel's many messes
Thomas Ravenel was the center of controversy on "Southern Charm" for as long as he had screen time. From dating twenty-somethings to failed political careers, his behavior was constantly criticized and questioned on the series for six seasons. However, he ultimately parted ways with the show's main roster once and for all after he was arrested for assaulting his family's former nanny in 2018.
Ravenel and Kathryn Dennis connected in the first season of the reality show and went on to have two children together. After their tumultuous relationship ran its course, Ravenel found new love in Season 5 with a nurse named Ashley Jacobs. It did not end well. She clashed with the rest of the roster — especially Dennis — and the ill-fated pair split up in 2018 after a year of dating. When Shep Rose later asked her about Ravenel and their relationship, she replied, "How do we sum up [the] worst year of my life?"
In 2020, Ravenel got engaged to Heather Mascoe, a 38-year-old RN with whom he welcomed a child six months earlier. But in 2021, that relationship was filed away just like his political career.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
J.D. Madison's marriage hit a snag
Though he was never an official cast member, J.D. Madison was introduced to fans in Season 1 of "Southern Charm" as one of Thomas Ravenel's close friends. The real estate developer who regularly gave Ravenel advice over glasses of bourbon has owned a number of businesses, including Gentry Bourbon, Gentry Hotel, and Gentry Bar & Lounge in Charleston. While you can still buy his liquor online and with local suppliers, his bar and hotel have since closed.
But his responsibilities in the liquor and hospitality business seemed to put a strain on his marriage. In the Season 5 premiere, he told Ravenel that he separated from his wife Elizabeth Madison. Over the season, tensions were high when female castmates sided with his wife over rumors about his infidelity.
In Season 5 Episode 4, Naomie Olindo called him out for various indiscretions. However, after the episode aired, Olindo's supposed "friend" refuted the allegations. Per Bravo's The Daily Dish, Elizabeth tweeted, "There is nothing worse than having what you thought was a friend make false allegations & take my PRIVACY & my OWN voice away!" Olindo defended her decision to call out the bourbon owner, tweeting, "Of course everything I said tonight was approved before AND discussed after with Liz. Sad to see her covering for him again. I wish you the best @lizcharleston1." J.D. and Elizabeth never officially divorced, so it's unclear where they stand as a couple.